magnusfide wrote:
Dutchman has some great hybrids
Dutchmen had great hybrids. Aerolite was one of the originators of the hybrid, if not the originator back in the 1980s, but starting around 2010 they went off the deep end quality wise, and after the debacle of the thermarest tents prior and their leaking issues, went from the #1 hybrid manufacturer to probably the last on the list. Around 2013 Thor transferred customer service for Dutchmen over to Keystone and what was actually very good and responsive support went to hell in a handbasket. They went from having the most models/floorplans in hybrids to a few. Aerolite/Kodiak/Coleman are all the same, built in the same plant on the same line with different decals and decor. Dutchmen is just a name and not what it formerly was. Management and support are under Keystone so its nothing more than a sign on a building in Indiana.
Under the Coleman Name plate they now only make one hybrid, the 1601EXP, The same as the Kodiak Branded 172E. Kodiak also offers the 179E, the 186E, and the 222ES. The Aerolite website shows no hybrid floorplans. Evidently Dutchmen/Keystone have consolidated hybrids under the Kodiak brand. At one time Aerolite had about a half a dozen or more hybrid floorplans.
Forest River offers 10 hybrid floorplans in the Roos/Shamrocks, 3 under the Surveyor brand, and currently the 4 floorplans shown on Coachmen's site are "dealer stock only". Coachmen may be getting out of hybrids. They do show 1, the 15X under the Apex brand.
Jayco has about 9 floo rplans if you count the rear slides, KZ has maybe half a dozen hybrids scattered throughout their 8 brands, Keystone only has 2 hybrid floorplans that are clones between the Bullet and Passport Brands.
Dutchmen / Aerolite is seemingly out of the picture.
All of that said the 2011 Aerolite 185E hybrid we had for 3 seasons, was the best built and most problem free camper we have ever owned.
